Penguins Now Entering Goldilocks Zone

The Penguins have held strong in an incredibly tough Metropolitan Division, posting a record of 28-17-3 for 59 points, fourth in the division, and eighth in the Lemieux Conference.

But in a stretch of 10 games, the Penguins went 1-9-0, and it became obvious a change was needed. Being carried by the top line and goaltending only worked for so long, which led to the following three moves.

Brandon Saad, Dylan DeMelo, 2023 2nd round pick to Colorado for David Krejci, Trevor van Riemsdyk, David Farance, 2023 5th round pick, and cash considerations.

GM Gurtowski: “Our third line was not giving us the type of minutes we needed from them, and we felt by bringing in Krejci, it gives that line a shot in the arm offensively while also providing more experience and leadership. We also felt that Brandon Saad’s time here had run its course. There was a trade request over the summer we initially were unable to accommodate, but Colorado provided us an opportunity to add to our team while also doing right by someone who had done good work for us. Same thing with DeMelo, we wanted to do right by the player, and we had to consider the salary cap implications of potentially paying a top-4 defenseman the money he’s worth but only having room for him on the bottom pair.”

Evan Rodrigues and 2024 5th round pick to Columbus for 2024 3rd round pick and Ethan Cardwell.

GM Gurtowski: “Similar to Saad, Rodrigues was a player that just wasn’t working out for us this year. It’s not anyone's fault, just a product of the system we play and what kind of division we’re in. We’re happy to have been able to recoup a mid round draft pick, and we also believe Cardwell to be an intriguing prospect. After 90 points this year with Barrie, we’re excited to see what’s next.”

Eric Robinson, Pontus Andreasson, 2024 2nd round pick to Edmonton for Gus Nyquist, 2024 4th round pick, and cash considerations.

GM Gurtowski: “This trade was one we’d been eyeing all year. When it became clear that our top-6 was lacking some punch, we identified Gus as a player who could fit into that role seamlessly. His versatility also allows him to be a guy who can float around the lineup and be an option for both the power play and penalty kill.”

Despite being capped out (CapFriendly currently shows the Penguins as having $125K in space after calling up Jacob Peterson) GM Gurtowski was cryptic when asked if he envisioned any future moves for this team.

“Right now we’re in a place where we feel good about our team, but we’re always on the lookout for any potential moves to be made. There’s still time for things to be sorted out if the situation requires.”

The Penguins are back on the schedule again tonight, hoping to earn their third win in a row, facing off against the LA Kings. The lineup remains unchanged from the last game, with Semyon Varlamov once again getting the start.